title: Chest X-ray in the follow-up of renal cell carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the value of chest X-ray in the follow-up of surgically treated T1-3N0M0 renal cell carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed retrospective analysis of patients that underwent surgical treatment of a localized renal cell carcinoma (T1-3N0M0) between January 1993 and July 2010. Data on frequency and results of performed chest X-rays were collected from patients' records.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 17.5 years, 249 patients with a T1-3N0M0 renal cell carcinoma underwent a radical or partial nephrectomy. In 221 patients, 823 chest X-rays were performed during a median follow-up of 3.3 years (range 0.5-17 years). In 19 patients, a pulmonary recurrence occurred, of which 10 were not detected by the regular follow-up. Of the 9 patients that were diagnosed with a pulmonary recurrence with a chest X-ray during follow-up, 7 were asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis, and the chest X-ray has led to the detection; 0.85 % of the performed chest X-rays (7/823) have led to the detection of asymptomatic lung metastases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Due to the low yield of chest X-ray for detection of asymptomatic pulmonary recurrences, it has very low clinical value in the follow-up after nephrectomy for T1-3N0M0 renal cell carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands, b.h.j.doornweerd@umcg.nl.
authors.forename: B H J
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Doornweerd
authors.forename: I J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: de Jong
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Bergman
authors.forename: H J K
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Ananias
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009392:Nephrectomy; D010808:Physical Examination; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity